An automotive vehicle comprises, in a known manner, a plurality of on-board computers, each allowing one or more items of equipment of the vehicle to be controlled.
It is thus known practice to use, for example, an on-board computer to control operating parameters of the engine (such as the injection), an on-board computer to control electrical parameters of the vehicle, an on-board computer to control the steering assist system of the vehicle, etc.
Conventionally, an on-board computer takes the form of a housing in which a printed circuit board is mounted. It is known practice to mount this printed circuit board on the housing by screwing; however, mounting it in this way is time-consuming and costly. Moreover, the use of screws makes the logistics more complex. Therefore, a proposed solution to these problems is to mount the printed circuit board by riveting.
To do this, a rivet is inserted into each mounting aperture of the printed circuit board before being riveted. Such a rivet has two functions: a first function of attaching the printed circuit board to the housing and a second, electrical conduction function so as to allow the electrical continuity of the ground between the printed circuit board and the housing. Therefore, it is important to check the conformity of riveting.
Specifically, poor riveting may result in defects such as mechanical fragility of the mounting and/or a contact area that is insufficient when it comes to providing good electrical continuity to ground. Poor riveting may manifest as non-conformal flattening or else the rivet being off-center in the aperture of the printed circuit board, in which cases the contact area between the printed circuit board and the rivet is not sufficient.
Moreover, controlling the riveting of a printed circuit board, which makes it possible to check the diameter of the rivet and its centering in the aperture, can be time-consuming and imprecise.